Recently, M!LK's success has been incredible. The momentum is just abnormal. To be honest, when I first saw Shunta Sono, I didn't think he was the type to be serious about study methods.
This was complete prejudice. He's sparkly, bright, and has star power. So I just assumed he was someone who came forward through intuition and talent rather than being a "study person."
But then I found Mr. Sono's study videos and interviews, and I was genuinely amazed.
He graduated from Gakushuin University. He holds certifications like Eiken Pre-1, Kanji Kentei Grade 2, the Mie Prefecture Proficiency Test, and the World Heritage Test. Furthermore, it's been mentioned that he is studying to become a weather forecaster.
When you hear this much, you might want to dismiss it with, "Oh, he's just naturally smart."
But that's not what I found truly interesting.
Mr. Sono's greatness isn't just that he can study, but that he is incredibly good at integrating study into his life.
People who can't stick to studying usually think, "I'll do it when I have time." I'll start when I have a block of time. I'll do it when work settles down. I'll do it if I can reduce my smartphone time.
But that "day I can properly study" rarely comes.
Looking at Mr. Sono's study method, the approach was the opposite.
He isn't looking for study time. He decides where to place the study first.
Here lies the hint for busy people to continue studying.
1. He can study despite being busy because he isn't searching for time
First, I was surprised by how Mr. Sono uses gap time.
During the period when he was balancing entertainment activities and academics, he used travel time and waiting time for studying. The important thing here isn't just that "he's working hard despite being busy."
People who can study don't study because they have extra time. They decide the situation for studying in advance.
For example, "I will study English" is weak. But "I will look at vocabulary when I get on the train" is strong. "I will study for a certification" is heavy. But "I will solve one past exam question during the last 10 minutes of my lunch break" is easy to act on.
This is close to what psychology calls "implementation intentions." Research by Gollwitzer and others suggests that deciding "when, where, and what to do" makes it easier to take action.
In other words, Mr. Sono's method isn't based on willpower.
He doesn't say "I'll study when I feel motivated," but changes it to "I'll study when I'm in this situation."
Busy people are more likely to fail if they try to create large blocks of study time. So, they should place small study sessions within their lives first. The train, waiting time, before bed, 10 minutes in the morning.
The essence of the Sono style lies in "placement" rather than the amount of effort.
2. Don't trust your concentration too much
Next is his interesting way of dividing time.
Mr. Sono says he used a kitchen timer to study in cycles of about 40 to 45 minutes.
This is very realistic.
People who are bad at studying tend to think from the start, "I'll do 3 hours today" or "I'll do 5 hours on my day off." But that goal is too heavy, and they get discouraged before even starting. They lose before they even sit at the desk.
On the other hand, 40 minutes is easy to start.
Of course, 40 minutes isn't the right answer for everyone. Some people find 25 minutes works, while others prefer 60 minutes.
However, the important thing in Mr. Sono's method is
He does not treat concentration as something infinite.
He isn't looking at "how many hours will I do today," but "how many minutes can I concentrate and come back."
This way of thinking is also compatible with research on distributed learning. A meta-analysis by Cepeda and others shows that it is more advantageous for memory retention to space out learning rather than cramming it all at once.
In short, sitting for a long time isn't winning.
People who stick with studying aren't those with strong concentration, but those who design it on the premise that concentration will break.
Win in units where you can concentrate rather than fighting for long hours with sheer grit. This is where the strength lies.
3. Don't rely on rote memorization
What I really like about Mr. Sono's study method is his approach to memorization.
When there are 100 things to remember, many people try to memorize from 1 to 100 with sheer willpower. But Mr. Sono talks about memorizing by classifying similar things or finding commonalities.
This is truly important.
Memorization is not grit. It is organization.
When people can't remember, they immediately think, "I have a bad memory." But in reality, the information might just be entering their head in a disjointed way.
English words, Kanji, and certification exam terms are all the same. It's painful to try to memorize everything one by one. But you group similar things. Look at the etymology. Find commonalities. Divide into categories.
By doing so, you create a storage space in your head.
Memory is like tidying a room. If things are scattered on the floor, you don't know where anything is.
But books go on the bookshelf, clothes in the closet, and stationery in the drawer. Once the location is decided, it becomes easier to find.
Miller's famous paper also shows that there is a limit to the amount of information humans can process at once. Therefore, it's better to memorize in meaningful chunks rather than holding a large amount of disjointed information.
Change it into an easy-to-remember form before you memorize it.
Just having this perspective can significantly change your studying.
4. Looking at the "current location" before the goal
Mr. Sono is also strong with certifications.
Eiken Pre-1, Kanji Kentei Grade 2, Mie Prefecture Proficiency Test, World Heritage Test. He is also introduced as currently studying for the weather forecaster exam.
Normally, people would just end with, "It's amazing that you have so many certifications."
But that's shallow.
Certifications are not the goal; they become a device to visualize your progress.
Certifications can be tough if you think of them as heavy. If you think, "I must pass," "It's embarrassing if I fail," or "I'll apply once I'm properly prepared," you'll stop before you even apply.
However, if you think of it as "checking how much I understand right now," a certification becomes more than just a pass or fail.
You can see what you can do, what you can't do, and what is ambiguous. You can see your own gaps.
Moreover, tests themselves have a learning effect. Research by Roediger and Karpicke shows that taking tests enhances long-term memory retention.
In other words, exams and certifications are "places to be evaluated" and at the same time, mechanisms to strengthen your study.
The hard part about studying is that effort is difficult to see. Even if you do a little every day, you don't feel like you're growing. You don't feel like you're moving forward. That's why you want to quit.
But with certifications and quizzes, your current location becomes visible.
Certifications are not things to collect. They can be stairs to build confidence.
5. Abandon perfectionism and move study forward
What hit me the hardest personally was the idea of not aiming for 100 points too much.
Mr. Sono says that while he used to be a perfectionist, his thinking changed to the idea that it's better overall to accumulate many things at a certain level rather than raising a 90 to a 100.
This is very effective for studying.
People whose study doesn't progress aren't necessarily slacking off. In fact, the more serious people are, the more they stall. They want to make Chapter 1 perfect. They want to understand everything before moving on. They want to organize their notes beautifully. They don't want to proceed with gaps or omissions.
But that perfectionism can be the very thing that stops progress the most.
You become an expert only on Chapter 1 of the reference book. Only the first page of the vocabulary book gets worn out. You only get good at making notes. But you can't see the whole picture. This is the scary part of perfectionism.
In other words, perfectionism can look like being studious, but it can become an excuse for not moving forward.
Of course, I'm not saying it's okay to be sloppy. I'm not saying you should cut corners. It's just that aiming for 100 from the start is too heavy.
So, first, proceed with 70%. Pass through Chapter 1 with 70%. Go through the vocabulary book once with 70%. Cycle through past questions with a 70% understanding. When you see the whole, you also understand what's important.
You can come back later.
In fact, you should proceed on the premise that you will come back.
Proceeding with 70% is not a compromise. It's a strategy to keep from stopping.
One whole book, even if it's rough, is better than one perfect page.
If you can have this sense, your study will move forward significantly.
Summary
Looking at Mr. Sono's study method, this is what I thought.
People who stick with studying aren't those with strong willpower. They are those who have a mechanism that allows them to continue.
Look at vocabulary while traveling. Solve problems while waiting. Divide into 40-45 minute blocks. Classify for memorization. Use certifications as milestones. Move forward with 70%.
None of them are flashy.
But they are all realistic.
We tend to make studying about talent. We want to settle it with "that person is smart," "they have concentration," or "they've been good at studying since long ago." But looking at Mr. Sono's method, I don't think it's just that.
Of course, there is his own effort. There might be natural intelligence. But more than that, he is good at integrating study into his life.
He doesn't make studying a special event. He places it within his daily routine.
This is where the strength lies.
Studying is something you do by facing a desk, in a quiet place, taking a block of time, on a day when you're motivated, and after preparing properly. If you think that too much, it will never start.
So, it can be smaller. 5 minutes on the train. 10 minutes during lunch break. 3 words before bed. Only 40 minutes on a day off. Even so, if the point of contact with study doesn't disappear, you can move forward.
The important thing isn't to create a large amount of study time, but to not let study disappear from your life.
Life doesn't change in a day. But when you can feel "I did it today too" little by little every day, your trust in yourself returns.
Studying isn't just about increasing knowledge. It's also practice in keeping promises to yourself.
M!LK's recent activities are amazing, but Mr. Sono's study method is also quite amazing. His way of thinking was so logical that I want to punch my past self who thought, "I didn't think he was serious about study methods."
What you can learn from Mr. Sono's study method isn't "how to be smart," but the "technique to create a self that can continue."
On my X, I share "ways to learn that you can continue even if you're busy," based on the study methods of such celebrities and famous people. I also share specific examples of study methods that I can't fully talk about in articles, as well as how to proceed with certification and English studies, in my open chat.
https://note.com/edward_041127/n/ndeecd677d3ae
People who want to continue studying. People who couldn't continue with just grit. People who want to find a way that suits them, please follow me on X and join the open chat.
Let's make studying not a "special event" but "something we can place in our daily lives" together.
